Underground root watering systems are used to water the roots of plants and trees especially when water from above ground does not sufficiently seep into the ground. Inadequate water penetration is typically due to hard, ground conditions, such as hard soil composite areas and paved urban areas, or climate conditions that do not produce sufficient precipitation and that cause rapid evaporation.
Root watering systems have a network of water supply piping placed at or below ground level. One or more root watering units may be placed in the vicinity of each plant and connected to the supply piping. The conventional root watering unit has a porous cylinder with an end cap. The cylinder is buried in the ground such that the cap is on grade level or is buried just below grade level. A hook-up conduit extends laterally through a hole in the porous cylinder to attach to the supply piping. The hook-up conduit connects to an interior conduit (whether straight or elbow shaped) extending longitudinally through the cylinder toward the cap.
In one known form, a check valve used to prevent damage due to water hammer, and a filter are placed within the interior conduit. The outlet end of the interior conduit connects to a fluid emitter, which in turn, is held by supporting structure on the cap. In another form, a separate valve piece is connected to the outlet end of the interior conduit and within the cylinder. A filter is placed within the outlet end of the valve piece, while the fluid emitter is connected to the outlet end of the valve piece and secures the valve piece to the cap.
These conventional root watering units are relatively difficult to assemble, especially in the field, due to their many separate pieces. They also are difficult to assemble because the check valve and other parts connected to the fluid line are positioned within the porous cylinder. To assemble the unit, the interior conduit is aligned with the hole on the sidewall of the porous cylinder and then connected to the hook-up conduit extending through the hole. This conduit joint is within the cylinder. The valve and other parts are then assembled to the interior conduit before the cap can be placed on the cylinder. This process also involves the installer matching the length of the interior conduit with the distance from the valve piece or cap to the hole on the cylinder for receiving the hook-up conduit. These steps all result in a relatively cumbersome and labor intensive process. Due to this design, routine maintenance is very time consuming with these known root watering units. For example, the units are removed from the ground in order to clean or adjust the check valve. This is because the valve is not easily accessible by just simply removing the end cap from the cylinder. Thus, there is a desire for a root watering unit that addresses these shortcomings.